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Chapter Forty-one
“Gramps, he’ll be back.” Angie paced the small, dirty room from one end to the other. The overwhelming smells from dirty paper plates full of leftover pizza and dried-up sushi, plus the empty beer cans scattered high and low might not have been so bad if the two standing fans gave off cold air and didn’t just swish around the dead, hot stink surrounding them.
“How do you know he’ll return? We trusted him with half the money, but the original deal had been for him to have the gun waiting.”
“He needed the cash so he could buy it. It makes sense.”
“So, he lied on the phone. The gun only costs two hundred and fifty. The rest is for his – what did he call it – his time and trouble.” John spoke with a Spanish accent that sounded surprisingly like how Jorge had spoken. “What says, he didn’t lie when he said he’d be back. The kid’s got my two hundred and fifty bucks, and he’s disappeared, left us in this pigsty. We’ve waited almost two hours. I say we cut loose and call it a bad plan.”
Before Angie could answer, they heard the door open and slam closed. Jorge and a friend had arrived, both swaggering and both either drunk or high.
Angie felt the revulsion instantly with fear crowding right behind. Now what? Scared, but playing the game, she stepped forward.Don’t show any fear or they’ll love this even more.
“Where’s our gun?”
“She-et! I told you they’d want the gun, didn’t I, Ramon?” He shoved his friend’s shoulder in a playful, drunken way. “And, we’ll get it, woman, but the price is a bit higher than we discussed. I need another four hundred.”
John stood and pulled Angie close. “Then the deal’s off. How about you just keep the two hundred and fifty I already gave you, and we’ll just leave.”
Jorge rushed at John but Angie got in-between. Lifting his arm in John’s direction as if to slap, he snapped, “Hey, old man, how about you shut the fuck up?”
Angie kept him from connecting and got a backhand for her tenacity.
Just then, Charli, a cold mask of fury emblazoned on her face, stepped into the room from the back of the house. “And how aboutyouback off, asshole, and give the money that you took from my girl and my grandpa back to them? That sounds like a helluva lot better idea to me.”
Jorge’s jaw dropped. He swung to face his friend who also wore a stunned look. He turned back to her, furious indignation engulfing his face.
“How’d you get into my place, bitch? The back door was locked.”
Ramon’s instant agreement followed. “Yeah, cop. You broke in.”
“So, sue me. Now, give back the money.” Charli stood; legs wide and her hands on her hips, pure defiance plastered over her uncaring expression. “You don’t wanna play nice? We can do this a different way – it’s all the same to me.”
Without another word, Jorge dove at her, his fist up and ready. Perfect for her to grab and use to swing him around, head first into the wooden frame of the doorway. The crack of his skull sounded like he’d be suffering from a blistering headache after he came to.
Charli turned to the other dude who’d stood dumbfounded. Amazement and disbelief flashed across his face. Not willing to play nice, he reached for a gun stuck in his belt.
Like she was going to give him time to get it loose? No way.
Her fist drove into his face so hard that he went ass-over-teakettle across the room. She followed, watching him try to get to his feet. Before he came to a full stand, she kicked his legs out from under him and planted her heel in his forehead. Out cold, he didn’t move when she reached down and took the gun dangling halfway out of his belt.
Charli turned to Angie who’d stood in front of John, holding him back from getting involved.
Angie had seen Charli’s cold, single-mindedness when she’d taken on Hank. That had impressed her. But now she saw the rage of a person who’d been pushed too far. Now she wasn’t just afraid for herself, but for the man who’d suddenly decided he wanted her as a shield.
Tense moments passed as she waited for Charli to let loose. But the only words she spit toward them as she shoved the gun in front of her were, “Is this what you paid for?”
